La Vallada is a 2.5 hectare enclosed vineyard – Vallada meaning enclosed – at an elevation of 950m from which Olivier sources young vine Tempranillo for this cuvée. Olivier considers this cuvée to be his Covarrubias Village wine. Because of this site’s youth, Olivier gently destems the fruit destined for La Vallada, keeping the whole berries intact. The fruit is then carefully layered in a fermentation tank, with any overflow being fermented in small bins. The weight of the grapes and the native yeasts causes fermentation to begin naturally. Extraction and macerations are very gentle, resulting in a small percentage of the fruit fermenting by carbonic maceration.
